The ZPD Files
by R.Lamius
Summary: Nearly a year has passed since the Night Howlers incident shook Zootopia and things have returned to normal... On the surface. With a new Mayor ascending to the post, new criminals hitting the streets and shadows starting to creep around the city, it's up to Officers Hopps and Wilde to cast a light on them... The question is who can they trust to help them? Continuation fic.
1. Case 1, Chapter 1

**_I am well aware I am not reinventing the wheel with this set-up, people, but there are just some stories I have to write. Out of 100 ideas I come up with yearly, only about 1-2 ever pan out properly to get it pass planning stages and this is one! So let's get cracking!_**

 ** _All rights belong to Disney, fingers crossed for either a sequel or a spin off series!_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Routine**_

' _Routine'_

By the definition of the Mammian Walrbster Dictionary it meant a regular way of doing things in a particular order day for day or, if pertaining to actors, a series of things that are repeated as part of a performance. That's what most mammals think of when they used the word.

There was a third definition however and one that ZPD officer Nick Wilde thought reflected perfectly on the current situation and for a fact, most of last week as well; a boring state or situation in which things are always done in the same order.

It wasn't that Nick was allergic to routine, oh no, he even found it beneficial from time to time. After all, routine, punctuality and a ready performance for nearly every situation was how the fox managed to pull off most of the scams he engineered for the last twenty years.

That being said, there were times when routine was downright torture… Such as the last week of his life.

"Okay, Flash," Officer Judy Hopps leaned across the table toward their suspect. "Feel like telling us about your little racing circuit today?"

Despite the front, Nick could tell that even his always optimistic partner was getting sick of repeating the question day in and day out for… what was it now? Five days? After all, those drooping bunny ears couldn't lie even if she was valiantly trying to keep them from going slack.

Flash The Sloth on the other hand, hardly seemed bothered by the fact that he was being interrogated about illegal activities, as the same goofy smiled stayed plastered on his snout.

"I… Don't… have to… say…"

"…Anything?" Judy asked hopefully, trying to get the sloth to finish faster. Nick actually had to fight a smile at how hopeful she looked, even though she probably knew what was coming.

"…A… Thing." Flash finished smiling.

As Judy's head met the hard surface of the desk on the exact same spot as ever, ears flat against the wooden surface, Nick was musing on the possibility of Flash deliberately exchanging the words in the last second. Not even Carrots was that bad at guessing.

The simple fact was however that Flash knew his rights well enough on account of being a civil servant and as such had immediately asked for a lawyer. That took up day one. And they were still waiting on the lawyer, since he was another sloth from out of town. Optimistically, they spent the second day playing tic-tac-toe while the lawyer arrived. The end result was one win a piece for all three of them and no draws. Judy started to get annoyed on the third day, her foot nearly going through a chair leg before their shift was over. Day four was when Chief Bogo had finally decided to be merciful and gave them permission to access the "Prevention of Sloth Hindrance" law, allowing them to interrogate Flash without the presence of a lawyer. According to him, the first three days was to show them why you _never ever, under any circumstances,_ brought sloths in as witnesses even if you're desperate.

As day five was rolling pass two in the afternoon, Nick was desperately hoping that a call about _something_ would come in that required their immediate attention. If not, the tranquilizer gun hanging off his belt was looking all too tempting right now. Just one twitch and he could be off in blissful oblivion for a few hours…

"Flash!" Judy shot up with speed that Nick could only marvel at and a voice that sounded more like Chief Bogo than someone shorter than even Nick. "If you don't give me a name, I swear I'll go home, take my old Fox Taser and fry your fur!"

Despite the mention of a Fox Taser, nick found himself quietly chuckling at his partner's anger. It took a lot to get Carrots to this state, but he'd be damned if it wasn't worth it sometimes. Even if it was a bluff anybody could call. Case and point…

"You… Won't… Do it." Flash stated matter of fact and Nick was almost sure he sounded bored. More so than usual at any rate.

Slumping back in her chair and almost out of view, Judy sighed.

"I'm going to go and get some coffee," she declared and hopped off stalking, or whatever the bunny equivalent was, off toward the break room.

Quickly weighing the prospect of standing here against stretching his legs a bit, Nick quickly jumped to follow her.

"I'm going come with you,"

"One of us has to stay with the suspect Nick," Judy reprimanded, but as the fox noted, made no real attempt to stop him from following her. Judging by the sorry state of her ears, she probably didn't have it in her to argue with someone else right now.

"It's Flash we're talking about here Carrots," Nick smirked, but never the less casted a glance back toward the sloth who appeared to not have moved. "We'll be back before he manages to get ten feet away from the desk."

"Tell me about it!" Judy sighed, throwing her head back in exasperation. "This is worse than when I was a meter maid. At least that toy car moved!"

"Eh, know what you mean," Nick shrugged as he pushed the door within a door, they had put in for the two of them, entering the break room.

Five minutes later the two of them were sitting with a cup of coffee between their paws, occasionally glancing at Flash who appeared to be getting off his chair.

"Twenty?" Nick asked, slowly taking a sip.

"Eh, we'll check up on him in ten," Judy shrugged and brought her own cup toward her nose inhaling deeply. "Are you sure you can't get in touch with Finnick? At least he would try and stone wall us on purpose!"

"Yeah, tried that once my shift was over yesterday," Nick shook his head, one of his claws carefully tapping on the table. "Little guy said that while he has heard about someone organizing the events, he can't get a beat on who."

"It's eating at him, isn't it?" Judy asked, the first sign of a smile gracing her face, since they started on Flash.

"That much cash and he isn't on it? Please, he's out of his skin angry!" nick confirmed, reminiscing about the small fox's temper tantrum yesterday. "That being said the only one above Finnick would be Mister Big, but that's more your department."

"Fru Fru's still out of town and it's not like I can show up at Mister Big's doorstep for something like this." Judy shook her head. "Besides, we're not even sure this is Tundra Town business."

"If we can't get Flash to talk today I'll see if I can snoop about after hours," Nick offered with a long drawl to the offer. "Sure as hell is more likely to work than going for Day 6!"

"Yeah," Judy sighed and glanced at Flash. "Oh, he's a foot away from the desk. We should go."

"Ah,... Let's!" Nick sighed and picked up his cup as he stood up. As he did however, he missed the spark of curiosity going through Judy's eyes.

"Nick, how does Flash even race?" the bunny asked slowly. The question did have the desired effect however as Nick stopped almost dead in his tracks, his ears standing to attention.

"I…'m not sure," the fox admitted turning toward his partner. "When I first saw Flash race, I thought he was maybe a small cheetah with how small the car was. Had some bet even on a bunny, given the quick reflexes. Then he exited the car and most of the spectators fell over."

"You never thought to ask him?"

"Not really something that comes up in casual conversation." Wilde scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Though one of my fellow betters, think some doctor or some such had a theory that it has something to do with excitement in three toed sloths or something."

"And you never thought to say anything before now?!" Judy almost shrieked and Nick noticed her foot going about 180 a minute from irritation.

"Hey, hey cool off a bit Carrots," Nick raised his paws in a pacifying gesture. "Never thought about it until just now. Besides how are we supposed to get that," he pointed at Flash who was now an alarming two feet away from the desk. "Excited?"

"Now that you mention it,.." Judy began a genuine grin spreading on her face as her violet eyes drifted toward the precinct fridge.

"Oh no,…" Nick shuddered realization dawning on him.

OoOoOoOoO

"Here you go Flash!" Judy cheerfully shoved a large Styrofoam cup into Flash's outstretched claws.

Flash had managed four feet from the desk by the time Judy had assembled the content of the cup. As usual the sloth didn't appear too bothered by his interrupted escape attempt being foiled by Nick and Judy.

"Why… Thank… You." Flash smiled slowly at them and started to move the cup toward his mouth.

What felt like eternity later, the rim of the cup reached his mouth and Nick caught a sight of Judy's eyes widening in excitement much like one would do if they were witnessing a miracle in front of their eyes. The red fox had to suppress his own grin and the sudden urge to distract Flash, but he did the latter much easier than he would a year before.

He must really be growing up.

During Nick's musings, Flash had managed an entire gulp from the cup.

And then it happened.

The concoction that Judy had given Flash to drink was an amalgamation of each and every energy drink that was present within the ZPD break room fridge, blended alongside several soup spoons of coffee. By Judy's estimation the resulting blend should be able to wake the dead. With Flash…

"Wow, this is good!" the sloth began talking with the speed of an average cheetah, along with each and every mannerism he had, quickly became a twitch. "So Nick, look man, I can't tell you about the races. The guy who runs them? He doesn't play nice like you."

Both the fox and the bunny for their part were looking at the quick talking, average speed moving sloth like something that came out of a science fiction movie. Nick, as the sloth had addressed him by name was the first to recover from the stupor.

"What do you mean Flash?" Nick tilted his head.

It was surprising that Flash would be mixed up in something like this. Oh, sure street racing had been Flash's thing for about as long as Nick knew him, but even when he did the underground circuit Flash always stayed with the cleaner crews.

"Really going to make me explain huh?" Flash tilted his head in annoyance. As no answer came from Nick, the DMV employ continued. "About a month or so ago a new crew started muscling on the streets. And not in the 'we're better and more fun to watch way' either. Now the only races are theirs."

"Then why not quit?" Judy, who Nick noted was finally back to normal, taking quick notes with her carrot pen asked.

"Stress relief mostly," Flash shrugged. "Even if we don't show it, work at the DMV can be a pain…"

"Flash, please," Judy pleaded and much to Nick's amusement was putting those big ol' bunny eyes to work, presumably to soften Flash up. "There were three mammals hurt during the race a week ago."

"Heard rumors, didn't know it was true," Flash frowned looking to the side. "Wasn't there myself, was doing some tuning for this week. Car flew out of the track and hit a couple of pedestrians."

The sloth started casually scratching his cheek and at least to Nick appeared to be in conflict with himself about something.

"Look, Nick, best I can do is tell you where then next race will be and only because you're a friend."

"Tha…"

"However, I should warn you," Flash spoke up, interrupting the fox. "There are a lot of mammals know you're with the ZPD. Not sure what kind of reception you'll get."

Nick's eyes narrowed at the sloth's words, if only because he knew how true they were. Even Finnick had been regarding him with apprehension the last few times they spoke to one another. It was as if Finnick was waiting to be arrested at any moment or something, their history be damned.

"I'll keep that into consideration," Nick nodded, ignoring the look Judy was giving him. "Now, the address?"

"Oh yeah," the sloth nodded enthusiastically, something Nick would have to mark as a first for a sloth. "It's, 224 Zebra Lain… Right before… The… Suspension… briiiiiii…" And with that Flash face planted on the floor in a lifeless heap… And promptly began to snore.

"Hm," Judy tilted her head thoughtfully. "Guess that explains why sloths don't drink caffeine."

"Let's just get him to the couch before someone steps on him," Nick sighed and grabbed one of the sloth's paws.

"Then we have to go tell the chief," Judy supplied as she quickly maneuvered herself beneath the other appendage for better leverage.

 _Oh yeah,_ Nick thought bitterly. _Chief is going to be thrilled with this!_

OoOoOoOoO

"So let me see if I understand you two," Chief Bogo began as he was filling out some documents that lay spread on his desk. "You manage to get the location of an underground street racing crew by _drugging a DMV employ and rendering him near CATATONIC!?_ "

Judy had to suppress a wince at Bogo's tone, especially since the last word nearly blew out her ear drums from the volume. Nick, who was sitting next to her, appeared to be a little more composed, but Judy simply attributed it to not having been deafened.

Yet.

"Do you two have _ANY_ idea what would happen if he decides to press charges?!" Bogo continued to fume at the duo and in Judy's eyes appeared to grow angrier and more intimidating with each word. Bogo had gotten up from his chair, during his tirade, but for the life of her Judy couldn't tell exactly when "His lawyer would have your pelts and my horns decorating his walls when he gets done!"

Seemingly out of breath now, the chief calmly sat down back behind his desk, his eyes never leaving the pair.

"Now," the cape buffalo began, this time his voice calm and collected, no doubt the work of years of experience. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Judy took this as their cue that if they presented enough and compelling evidence, Bogo wouldn't bust them down to traffic duty… Again. As Judy was pulling out her notebook however, her heart sank as she heard Nick begin to speak in a voice she has long since dubbed the 'Let's try and get Bogo riled up' voice.

"Come on Chief!" Nick started, his voice all of a sudden cheery and with a barely noticeable drawl to it. "Flash's a friend, He'd never do that! Besides, his lawyer is also a sloth! We'd retire before he's done charging us!"

Bogo loudly exhaled, which was obviously not what Nick was looking for.

"Besides," Nick smirked. "Your horns probably wouldn't fit, Chief."

" _SNAP!"_

Judy barely had the time to get her ears parted, before the eraser on Chief Bogo's pencil snapped under the large buffalo's hoof and was catapulted over her head.

"Wilde," Bogo started, each word appearing to cause him physical pain. "Unless you want to entertain polar bears in Tundra Town as a frozen sculpture of an officer, I suggest you shut your mouth!"

"Hopps!" Bogo turned toward Judy. "What do you two have?"

"Well Chief," Judy started rattling off her notes. "We have a location and a time. We should be able to set up a sting operation and catch the crew red-pawed."

"Won't work," Nick shook his head, moving attention back to him.

"What do you mean Wilde?" Bogo asked lifting an eyebrow.

"What I mean Chief, is that they know how we operate," Nick began explaining. "I can guarantee you they know Flash has been nicked and they will have someone monitoring our radios. Best we can do is send someone to the race and pinch them during the race itself."

Much to Judy's surprise, Bogo seemed to be considering it and she again had to admit she was sort of impressed as to how many different illegal activities Nick knew how to pull off.

"Fine, I'll send Tucker in," Bogo nodded. "He has some experience with street chases."

"And a car that isn't a police cruiser?" Nick asked slyly and Judy quickly caught on to what he was trying to insinuate. Worst of all, Bogo, was actually puzzled by the question as if he hadn't thought of it. Judy could actually feel her ears go slack in the blink of an eye as an uncomfortable lump started building in her throat.

"No, he doesn't." Bogo grumbled. "What are you playing at Wilde?"

"We still have Flash's car," Nick smiled lazily. "And I have driven it before."

"Nick, no!" Judy turned toward her friend. "You heard what Flash said! You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Relax Carrots," Nick smiled down on her, literally, as even on a chair, he was still a head taller. "I've got this!"

"No you don't!" Judy shouted back, quickly rising to her feet so she could actually be at eye-level with the stupid fox. "And there's no way I'm letting you go there alone!"

The two stood glaring at each other, violet against green, neither backing even an inch, lest the other wins.

The moment was broken when Bogo spoke again.

"And neither an I," the chief declared and pulled another form from his desk. "Hopps, you'll be accompanying Wilde to the race. The moment the race starts, OR if Wilde gets in trouble, you signal me. I'll be three blocks out with a SWAT unit and prepared to lay road blocks to catch any stragglers."

"But Chief,…" Nick spoke up, but was quickly silenced by the chief's patented glare.

"This is the form for Lothman's car to be released from impound," Bogo handed the piece of paper to Nick. "We'll meet at 1800 here to discuss the finer points and kit you two out for surveillance. Until then, you. Are. Dismissed!"

OoOoOoOoO

"Why are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Judy tore into Nick the moment the two were out of the Precinct. Bogo had given them the rest of the day off to get Flash's car and change into more appropriate clothing for their little undercover op.

If he had to be honest with himself, Nick had expected his partner to begin the moment they were out of Bogo's office and was silently dreading each and every step and was waiting for the bunny to unleash the entire barrage of anger she was holding back, only if not to appear unprofessional.

"I am not trying to get myself killed, Whiskers," Nick smiled reassuringly at her.

"Look, I know what I saw Nick," the bunny shook her head. "And I don't care what you say, Flash's warning got to you."

Of course it did, was what Nick thought. Most of his friends had been on the shadier, if not dark side of the law. And he lost almost all of them when he put on the badge. Even a year later, he still couldn't quite reconcile with that. He knew that it would have happened, he wasn't stupid. He thought it over even as he was filling out the form, during the Night Howlers incident.

And he had decided that it was worth it then and there.

It was just hard to appear indifferent when mammals kept bring it up and it wasn't even a surprise that Judy had picked up on his distress. That bunny was getting scary good at reading him. And she was scared for him.

"Flash said,…"

"Flash said that he doesn't know what kind of reception I'd get," Nick corrected her, trying to elevate some of her fears. "For all we know, nobody will even comment on it."

"Like you actually believe that!" Judy countered immediately, crossing her arms, not at all convinced.

Time for plan B.

"Oh come on!" Nick sighed in exasperation. "We both know I like myself too much to let myself die and beside, Bogo will be a few seconds out along with the heaviest hitters of the ZPD." As he was about to finish a thought passed through his head and he smiled, lowering himself to eye level with Judy. "And you'll be there too Carrots. Or did you forget about that, you dumb bunny?"

Judy simply stared impassively at the fox's smirking face… And then promptly flicked his nose.

"Ow," Nick quickly straightened out and started rubbing his sensitive nose. "You agreed no nose!"

"And you agreed no 'dumb bunny' remarks." Judy countered looking smug. "Now come on! We should take the time to get ready."

"Do you even own anything that doesn't scream 'fresh off the train'?"

In retrospect, Nick really should have seen the shoulder punch coming.

* * *

 ** _Hello, fellow human beings who watched Zootopia and fell in love with the world! I am one of you and as such, this is my newest little project. And by little I mean I have absolutely no idea how freakishly insanely large it will end up as per usual. After all, my first ever writing attempt ended at around... 100k words, half-way finished, before I realized what has happened. That being said, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. It was originally supposed to be much longer, but I thought this would be a neat place to end it and I will try not to stay bound by any length rules, which is a trap I usually fall into. That being said I think a chapter every week or two is a feasible thing, but don't hold me to that. That being said I am welcoming any criticism this time around, especially regarding the characters themselves, since unlike most of my other projects the characters are not OC's (I will be adding a few, but Nick and Judy will always take centre stage) of mine nor have I had plenty of time and several seasons worth of material to analyse. As such I find it hard getting into their heads, especially Judy's. That much optimism and perkiness just hurts my jaded brain!_**

 ** _Oh and yes, Flash's full name for the purposes of this fic if Flash S. Lothman. I am not as creative as I like to imagine myself._**

 ** _Ta-ta for now!_**


	2. Case 1, Chapter 2

_**I have to admit, I didn't expect to finish this one quite as fast, but a bit more free time opened up and I had proper inspiration for this particular chapter.**_

 _ **So enough chit-chat! Time to read people!**_

 _ **And once again, Disney owns everything, except the fic itself.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: Improvisation**_

' _In related news, the Baterson Group has been making great strides to fix the Mayoral image within Zootopia, in accord with the pre-election statements made by Mayor Rouge Baterson and her office. As such, the new Mayor will personally be opening tomorrow's football game between the Tundra Tigers and the Sahara Scorpions…'_

It was at this point that Nick switched the radio channel in Flash's car. If he had to listen to any more praise directed toward the new mayor, he was liable to bite down on his own tale to keep himself from screaming. While he was happy that Lionheart lost the re-election campaign the cowardly lion had launched from his prison, this amount of praise was getting a bit too much. Yes, Baterson was a decent mayor and yes, she was making strides to clamp down on the corrupted elements within City Hall that reared their heads once Bellwether was thrown in prison and Zootopia left without a mayor, but quite frankly it wasn't like the bat had a tough act to follow. The last mayor was a psychopath and the one before was a self-centered coward and jackass. As long as she didn't bite any baby cubs while kissing them she had a guaranteed re-election.

Besides, now he had more important things to worry about, like the car he was driving. While he didn't lie to the Chief about having driven the car, that was three years ago and like every motor head Nick knew, Flash was always tweaking the car here and there, removing and adding parts. After all, Nick was sure the triple bottles of NOS were new and so was the better clutch. Beyond that, the freaking thing felt at least twice as fast. Cop or not he couldn't very well test it street light to street light. Truth be told it was a relief that he wouldn't actually have to race it. The amount of harm he could cause, even inadvertently was a bit too much for him.

Still, if the plan they had was successful, he wouldn't need to even find out. All he'd have to do is drive in, set himself on the start line and call in the cavalry.

"It's never this easy," Nick sighed to himself more than anything as he neared the spot where the ZPD was preparing the ambush.

Nick wasn't about to say it to anybody, least of all Judy, but he was very nervous. Between Flash's warning and how several old associates had reacted, he fully expected to have to fight his way, either into the race or out, if things went south too fast. At least Carrots would have his back, like she always did.

During his musings, Nick had arrived at the garage building Bogo had commandeered for this particular operation and made his way to the third floor, which was now a hive of activity. Nick saw several officers around a communications booth they had managed to set up, earphones on their heads and scribbling this and that on paper which quickly found its way in one direction or another. Nick saw several rhino officers in riot gear, the heavy black padding making them look about twice as large as normally, while wolves and several tigers were hanging around a dozen or so interceptors. Not far off from them, Bogo was hunched over a table, bellowing orders left and right, while simultaneously consulting a map.

Taking a quick glance around, Nick spotted an empty spot and parked Flash's car there.

"Hey, Chief!" Nick greeted as he made his way toward the large buffalo. "Fancy meeting you at a place like this?"

"Took you long enough Wilde," the chief nodded instead of a proper greeting. "Car running fine?"

"Everything is in tip top shape," Nick smiled and pulled down his sunglasses. "Say what you will about sloths, they make great mechanics."

"Remind me to order my kids a car made by a sloth," Bogo remarked completely deadpan and Nick decided to bite.

"Oh, I didn't know you had cubs Chief," the fox smirked.

"I don't, now quit your clowning and get ready, sundown is in about half an hour and I need to brief everyone."

"By the way where's Carrots?" Nick frowned a little trying to pick out his partner amidst the crowd of officers…'s feet. "I though she'd beaten me here."

"I did," Judy's voice came from behind Nick causing him to turn around.

"Well, look what the…." Nick began, but quickly trailed off as he saw his partner.

Judy Hopps, police officer of the ZPD was now standing in front of him, wearing ripped jeans and an old, faded, sleeveless Gazelle T-Shirt, which was maybe one size too small for her and was decked out with several outright gaudy gold armbands, while her ears were also flat against her head, and tied at their base like a ponytail. That wasn't what had caught Nick's attention though, far from it. If that was everything, he would have had several snide remarks by now. No, what really caught Nick's attention was that Judy's normally grey coat of fur was painted midnight black and she was apparently wearing a set of colored lenses, turning her amethyst eyes, bright blue.

Nick quickly shook his head to regain his composure and once he did he saw Judy' self-satisfied smirk at rendering him speechless.

So he decided to get some payback.

"Hate to break it to you Carrots, but I think you must have fallen into a bucket of paint," the fox supplied smirking.

"Like it?" Judy twirled around, completely ignoring Nick's remark.

"It's fine, Carrots," Nick shook his head at his partner's antics. "Though that doesn't quite explain why you look like the literal black sheep of the family? No offense Woolbert" Nick quickly added glancing to a nearby sheep office who was handling some gear. The sheep had the grace to shrug, but refrained from replying verbally.

"That's because Wilde," Bogo started answering instead of Judy. "Officer Hopps is still prominently featured on most of our recruitment posters. And while you can easily explain your presence, I doubt you'll be able to come up with a story why one of the most prominent and law-abiding officers in ZPD is with you."

Nick silently nodded in agreement with Bogo. After all, claiming that Judy is some random bunny accompanying him would be far better than his wildly known partner. There was just something in Bogo's words that was puzzling him though; why had the buffalo used 'most' before 'law-abiding'. Weren't all his officers simply law-abiding?

Deciding to shelve that question for another time, Nick gave Judy another glance and then turned to Bogo for their briefing.

"So, besides dying my partner, anything else I should know?"

"The signal for us to go in is an app on Officer Hopps' cell," Bogo explained and handed the device to Judy. "There's also a sound recorder built in. Try to get as much information as you can before calling us in."

"What about weapons Chief? Or are we going in naked?" Judy asked as she pocketed the cell phone.

"Can't risk you getting searched on entry," Bogo frowned and both Nick and Judy quickly got the feeling he wasn't happy with the notion of sending in his officers in there unarmed. "So I hope you've been keeping up with your paw to paw training."

"If by keeping up, you mean Nick's been hitting the mat very hard every single day, then yes," Judy replied all to happy to remind Nick how badly their usual sparring matches went for him.

"You're just lucky I don't hit ladies," Nick replied a little sourly. "Or kids. And you just happen to be both."

As soon as he finished his sentence, Nick found himself jumping on one foot from a swift and discreet kick to the shin.

"Damn it Carrots, I need to drive in an hour!" Nick grunted over the few chuckles that escaped from the surrounding officers.

"Hopps, stop injuring your partner," Bogo reprimanded, without so much as looking up from his documents. "Besides, the stuff covering your fur isn't meant to stick."

Both Nick and Judy glanced down at the buddy's feet and saw that the spot she used to kick Nick with had indeed gone a little paler.

"Well, I'll be…" Judy muttered to herself

"Normally," Bogo spoke up again. "We'd use something stronger to apply the dye, but we're a bit short on time. So try not to rub into anything Hopps, or the operation might just blow up in our faces."

"Got it Chief" both the officers said simultaneously and Bogo dismissed them with a gesture of his hoof.

The duo was soon next to Flash's car and slightly to the side of all the commotion that was happening around them.

Judy broke the silence first.

"So, think this will work?" she asked her partner, who was busy examining his sunglasses as if they were the most important thing in the world right now, expression solemn and far away.

"Don't know," Nick drawled out slowly. "First time I try something like this."

"I thought you pulled a hustle every day since you were twelve?" Judy asked, smiling up at him.

"Those were people on the street Carrots," Nick replied shaking his head. "With people you know though…"

"Is harder, isn't it?" Judy asked in a small voice, not even looking at Nick who only made a noise of ascend to confirm her words, before they both slipped into silence.

"You don't have to do this if…"

"Thanks for the offer, Carrots," Nick cut off his partner, smiling gently. "But I made my choice when I filled out the form. Haven't regretted it until now, won't start now, either."

"I know Nick, I just worry, that's all." Judy assured him, causing him to smirk.

"I worry too Carrots," he said honestly. "After all everybody would worry about someone as devilishly handsome as me."

"Jerk!" Judy replied half-heartedly and socked him in the shoulder.

"Speaking of handsome though," Nick changed the subject as he rubbed his arm. "Where did you pull this get up together Whiskers? Didn't think you owned something like ripped jeans."

"Yeah," Judy smiled a little sheepishly. "I might have tactically shredded them for the purpose of camouflage using a pair of scissors. My mom will likely kill me."

"Oh, look at it on the bright side," Nick switched to his teasing voice. "You could use the scraps to put some new curtains in that shoebox you call an apartment."

"Excuse me?" Judy replied haughtily. "Like your dump is any better Wilde."

"Well Hopps," Nick continued. "Unlike you, I own a two room apartment with a kitchen and a balcony, while you literally have four walls made of paper."

"At least my apartment doesn't look like a twister goes through it every day!" the bunny snapped back. "I couldn't even find dish soap in your kitchen!"

"It's called controlled chaos Carrots. I know perfectly where everything is."

"Dish Soap?"

"Third cabinet, behind the toaster."

"Utensils?"

"Second drawler, under the towels."

"Then how about..."

OoOoOoOoO

The duo filled in the time until they were scheduled o arrive at the race with Judy quizzing her partner in where one could find the various items within Nick's home and much to her growing frustration the fox managed to rattle off every single one down to the exact floorboard he kept a stash of medicine. While infuriating it did have the desired effect of calming Judy's nerves about their upcoming assignment. While she was aware that it wasn't undercover per-say, it was still very interesting for her to see something like this. After all, there weren't any races in Bunnyburrow, legal or otherwise.

About an hour or so after sundown the first of the racers started to arrive and on Bogo's cue, Judy and Nick set off to join the 'fun'. As Nick drove them toward the gathering however, she saw the exact same worrying signs she was dreading in her partner. His shoulders were tense, claws were already half extended as if expecting a confrontation from the get-go. His eyes were also narrowed and even though he probably wasn't noticing, his fox ears were twitching at the slightest sound that wasn't the car engine. Even her examining the smartphone Bogo gave her. Apart from the app that she could call them in with, it was pretty much a stock standard phone, but even so the camera app caught her attention.

"Nick, think I'd be able to get some pictures discreetly?"

"Not really a need to be discreet," Nick smiled. "These guys' cars are like their calling cards. They like when mammals, especially females stare at them."

Judy shuddered a bit at that.

"I'll try to be discreet just in case," she promised more herself than Nick. "What is it with men and cars anyway?"

"Don't know," Nick shrugged. "Maybe it's just overcompensation."

"Aaaaaaaaaaand... Now I am very glad we are here." Judy rolled her eyes, but immediately stopped, taking in the view.

The streets surrounding the bridge on either side were mostly either industrial or warehouses, so after sundown, the activity on either side of the bridge tended to drop significantly, meaning that it was exactly what the mammals organizing such events were looking for. On either side of the street adjacent to the bridge, there were cars, lined up and waiting, groups of animals, mostly medium sized, such as wolves, pigs, rams and tigers, swarmed the various vehicles, looking either in awe, calculated mindfulness or mock sneers. Even with the windows closed, Judy could hear friendly, and sometimes non-friendly jeers and insults being thrown left and right. Judy noticed that most of the vixen, tigresses and she-wolves present amidst the crowd were dressed in a provocative manner that made Judy feel a little disgusted. There were only one or two female drivers amidst the crowd as they drove past.

"Think anyone here knows Flash isn't behind the wheel?" Judy asked snapping a few pictures of some of the less obscured cars they were passing.

The bunny's inquiry was answered almost immediately when an engine to their left roared to life and quickly they found the path forward blocked by a midnight black Malkcedes (A/N: Got the idea for the name while reading _'Cold Days'_ by Jim Butcher.), with tinted windows and no visible outward modifications. As the car raced out of its spot, everyone around the street froze and turned toward the scene, trying to find out what the new development was.

Once the commotion had completely quiet down, the driver's door of the Malkcedes opened slowly and from it rose a heavyset boar that Judy could easily peg for a bodybuilder. His mane was shaven almost to the point where it melded with the dark grey fur on the rest of the body, giving the mammal a very peculiar and easy to distinguish look to him. The boar's tusks were short and pointed upwards, but also well maintained as they almost shone pristine white amidst the headlights on either side of the street. The boar was wearing a red T-Shirt that contrasted well with his natural coloring and Judy saw a silver cross hanging from the boar's wide neck.

"Word on the street is," the boar began and his voice resonated all along the street, even though Judy got the expression he wasn't really raising it. "That Hundred Yard Dash got nicked by the cops a few days ago."

"And yet, here's his car," The board continued stepping around his own ride. "So either Flash got released,... Or, we've got a cop amidst us! So let's be clear... Which is it?"

The last part of the question was directed solely at Nick and Judy who quickly exchanged a brief look. The question hung unspoken between them; Try and play this off or signal the cavalry?

Judy ran through most scenarios of how this could play out in her head and given that they were literally in the middle of everyone's escape route. The best they could hope for was that the get beaten around in the car left and right and catch a few of the racers as oppose to the majority of them. The wiser course of action as insane as it sounded was to exit the car and let Nick do the talking while she took as many mugshots as she could before things went sideways even more.

A curt nod between them ended the discussion and they both pushed their respective door open, climbing out of the vehicle. As she did, Judy coached herself to remain as loose as possible, both for appearances sake and in case they got rushed. There was no point in tensing up before she actually had to use her muscles and if she did the chances of her wasting a moment or two to unwind herself to move could be crucial. A quick glance at Nick confirmed he was doing the same, but Judy also noted that his tail was curled up near his body, possibly to prevent it either being stepped on or grabbed and his hands were clutching his sunglasses, possibly to use as a distraction if the fighting broke out. After all, toss something at someone and they will stop to register what it is, if not outright roll to the side.

"Now Vic," Nick began putting on his best smile. "Is that any way to treat an old friend."

"Last I check I wasn't friends with no cops, Wilde." the boar spat to the side.

"Oh, you mean the day job?" Nick laughed, trying to ignore the glares he was getting, all the while Judy was pretending to be completely uninterested in the conversation and was 'playing' with the smartphone. "We've got to pay the bills Vic, you know how it is!"

"I'll admit I haven't opened a thesaurus in a while Nick, but since when is day job a synonym for screwing over your friends?" The boar replied, eyes narrowing and Judy propped herself on the car, allowing her to coil her legs for a jump at any moment.

"You know me better than that Vicky, my man!" Nick shook his head and walked over toward the hood of the car, seemingly unafraid of the imposing mammal. "I try to steer my partner away from any old friends."

"Still doesn't explain why you showed your nose here Nicky," the boar continued, seemingly unaffected by Nick's charade.

"You said it yourself, Vic," Nick casually leaned on the hood of Flash's car. "Old Flash got busted by my new colleagues. Met him at the precinct and we talked for a day, He asked me to drive his car in today's race."

 _Please don't let him know we caught Flash!_ both Judy and Nick thought simultaneously as Vic mulled over the fox's response.

"That's mighty thin Nick," the larger mammal hummed. "You expect me to believe you just happened to meet Flash and he just so happened to ask you to take his place tonight. Awfully shady soundin' here fox."

"What can I say? I'm predisposed to shady," Nick smirked, but Judy saw a line of sweat rolling down the back of his neck. Despite the front it was clear Nick didn't believe he was managing to convince his, apparently former, friend. Which meant it was her turn.

"Niiiiick," Judy wined in the best imitation of a bored, bratty ten she could pull off, catching the attention of both fox and boar. "You said we were going to go see cars, not watch you measure with a load of beef!"

Her statement had exactly the desired effect as it shifted the attention away from the fox and onto herself. Now all that was left to do was pray that the paint was convincing enough to fool the crowd.

"You brought a date Wilde?" Vic asked. "Thought you were more into vixens?"

"Well, what can I say?" Nick shrugged completely non-pulsed by the comment. "Variety is the spice of life I've heard. 'Sides, bunnies are easier."

Judy schooled her face to keep from showing exactly how angry Nick's last comment made her, but she was a professional and this was a mission. Some hardships and blows to one's pride needed to be endured for the sake of success. And that means that if Nick had to make a remark or two that didn't exactly sit well with her then... She would simply have to endure for a while... And kick his ass later when this was all over.

"As for Flash, Nick continued, trying to ignore Judy's concealed glare. "You can ask him, once his lawyer gets him out."

Vic for his part appeared to consider Nick's words. Once or twice his eyes flickered between Nick and Judy, as if trying to figure out if something was wrong. Every time he did it, Judy felt her pulse skyrocket at the thought of them being found out. With a last flick between the two the boar's stance changed and he eased back off from Nick.

"Fine, I'll believe you, for old times sake," the boar declared. "You race in Flash's stead, but the cash and the prize stays here until he can collect it himself. Any commissions he promised come from him. Got it?"

"I think we can work something out," Nick smirked. For added effect Judy cleared her throat pointedly, again drawing the boar's attention to herself. "We done? hate to keep the lady waiting."

"Sure you don't." the boar huffed and stalked to get into his own ride. Not missing a beat, Nick and Judy returned inside the relative safety of Flash's car and as soon as the doors closed, Nick spoke.

"Well, that went better than I expected," the fox clarified as he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"Just how badly were you expecting it to go?" Judy asked.

"Just be happy it was Vic that came out to great us," Nick explained as he drove the car forward to where he thought the start line should be. "The rest of the guys aren't as chatty. They'd gone straight for hitting me."

"In that case remind me to play the lottery this week," Judy joked, but as she did, something Vic said struck her. "Nick, what did the boar mean when he said cash _and_ a prize?"

Her partner appeared to be stuck for a moment before shrugging.

"Could have been anything. Maybe someone decided to bet the car on the race? It isn't that uncommon."

"Guess we're about to find out," Judy nodded as she saw where four other cars were lined in the middle of the street, one spot still available. In front of the quartet stood a large fox, a real monster for his breed, easily dwarfing several wolves Judy knew from work. He was dressed in very loose clothes, baggy white shirt and jeans with a pale golden fur coat and blue eyes. His muzzle appeared to be as if gnarled at and he was missing an ear. Judy turned toward Nick as they took the position of the last free spot that was to the far right of the fox facing the cars, silently asking if he knew him. Upon Nick's negative reply, Judy quickly snapped a few pictures of the fox, pegging him as the new organizer Flash had warned them about.

"Okay people out of the cars, need to say a few word here," the fox barked out and the drivers and Judy quickly dismounted.

"Tonight's buy-in was five grand, which you all paid in advance." the fox explained patting a large stack of bills that was next to him. "It's Winner take all, with a few exceptions," the golden fox pointedly turned to Nick who simply waved smirking, While Judy's hand hovered slightly above the smartphone, as she pretended to be distracted by something shiny. "You'll also be bringing home a full case of these" he declared and reached into a suitcase that was next to the stack of bills.

As the lid of the case opened, both Judy and Nick's nostrils flared as an all too familiar scent reached them.

Night Howlers.

At that particular moment Judy typed in the first real message on the phone and sent it to the chief.

 _'Chief, we need to improvise, race is on.'_

* * *

 ** _What? You guys thought this was going to be about street racing?_**

 ** _Nah, I don't go small. Though there is a nice little twist coming with the Night Howler angle, which I am hoping you will find interesting._**

 ** _As I said, this chapter got done a bit faster then expected and while not all elements were as I hoped the overall idea is present. Next chapter will be the last of the prologue I needed to this series and then we can comfortably move to where the real meat of the series lies, so a bit more patience please people._**

 ** _Also to those who feel I am not neglecting Judy's character, next chapter will be more action oriented, so she'll have her time to shine. As I mentioned last time Judy is a bit harder for me to write, so I do apologize for any inconsistencies with her. Also, dying her coat was paramount for the story and how they get found out in the next chapter so stay tuned, though anybody can probably figure it out if they tried._**

 ** _Well, for the moment, peace out and I look forward to your responses about the chapter._**


End file.
